https://reasonstobecheerful.world/vienna-refugee-run-hotel/
"Entering the lobby of Magdas Hotel around midday, the scene is one familiar
from countless trendy hotels around Vienna — the cool-yet-cozy décor and quiet
music in the background, locals on lunch break slowly filling the restaurant, a
gaggle of tourists checking in at the reception desk, taking in their new
environment with jet-lagged excitement. A neon sign behind the reception
reminds them to “stay open-minded.”
Most guests come to Magdas looking for nothing more than the good service,
comfortable rooms and central location promised by online reviews. “With time
they might notice that many of us working here aren’t Austrian, that many
cultures are represented, and they ask what’s going on here,” says Ziad Rabeh,
the head receptionist. “And then we tell them our story.”
Magdas Hotel opened on Valentine’s Day 2015, with the purpose of helping
refugees integrate into the job market by offering employment and training. The
timing was excellent for all the wrong reasons: Over 1.3 million migrants
applied for asylum in Europe over the course of that year, kicking off Europe’s
so-called migrant crisis. As countries struggled to accommodate the new
arrivals — and, in some cases, erect border fences — charities, NGOs and social
businesses across Europe rallied to help them rebuild.
While there is no universal definition of successful integration for refugees,
work is generally considered a crucial component — but it’s not easy to come
by. Finding employment in a new country without a social network, local
language skills or recognized education certificates can feel like an
insurmountable task. In Austria, restrictions on access to the job market
during the often lengthy asylum application process further complicate matters,
so that, on average, it takes refugees almost three years longer than other
migrants to enter the Austrian labor market.
“People spend a considerable part of their life working, and that provides a
lot of functions,” says Peter Vandor, head of the Social Entrepreneurship
Center at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Reliable income is a
big part of building a stable and secure life, but the social aspects of work
can be just as important, providing people with the opportunity to learn the
local culture and develop a public identity beyond their status as a refugee or
migrant. “It allows you to feel competent and in control and exhorting mastery,
which is especially important for someone who has gone through an experience
where they are just reacting.”
“Here the people we employ are no longer guests but hosts, and can make good
use of the qualities they bring with them,” says Gabriela Sonnleitner, who has
been running Magdas for almost a decade. “And Austria is a tourist destination.
There is always a demand for skilled workers in this sector.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
